Caravan Guard's claims data tells you something worth sitting with. Almost two thirds of the caravan thefts it settled came from storage sites, not driveways or campsites, and the average theft claim ran to just over £20,000. That's not a reason to panic. It's a reason to think harder about where you actually leave your caravan when it's not on the road.
As a caravan and motorhome dealer based just outside Bristol, we get asked for caravan and motorhome storage recommendations on an almost daily basis. So we've put together our top sites from our own experiences as well as the feedback we hear from our customers, rather than just a list of names pulled off a map.
Our Recommended Caravan and Motorhome Storage Options in Bristol
These are the sites that come up most often when Bristol owners are looking at caravan and motorhome storage options, and each one does something slightly different.
MHC Storage, Congresbury
MHC sits just south of Bristol near the M5, and it's CaSSOA Gold accredited, verified and on record since 2019. Its basic plan runs from £129 for a week up to £699 for a full year, with monthly options in between.
Security includes CCTV, an electronic entry gate and tracked key-card access, plus late Sunday and Bank Holiday access during British Summer Time. If you want more than a parking space, its higher tiers add monthly inspections, washing, battery charging and rodent checks, running up to £1,800 a year for the most comprehensive package.
Sentinel Storage, Fishponds
Sentinel offers a long-term outdoor pitch suited to a medium caravan or motorhome at £100 a month, on a minimum four-month contract. The site is monitored by CCTV and enclosed within a secure perimeter fence.
Access is where it's worth reading the fine print rather than the headline. The site advertises 24/7 access, but the actual hours are Monday to Friday 24 hours, with Saturday and Sunday access running 08:00 to 20:00. Fine for most owners, but worth knowing if you're planning a very early or very late weekend collection.
This storage site is popular and availability here moves quickly, with pitches sometimes showing as sold out. It is worth calling ahead to check current space before making the trip out
Vehicle Storage South West, near Bristol Airport
This site offers outdoor storage from £80 a month including VAT, or indoor space from £140 a month, with free customer access seven days a week. Security here goes a step further than most Bristol sites: alongside CCTV and alarms, the premises are manned 24/7, which is genuinely uncommon among a lot of operators. Most sites rely on cameras and gated access alone, so an actual staffed presence is worth factoring in if that matters to you.
For long-term customers, it also offers free collection or drop-off at Bristol Airport or the nearest railway station, which is a genuinely useful extra if you're flying in from a trip.
One thing worth flagging here: the site states plainly that you need your own insurance cover, and that storing with them doesn't give you comprehensive protection by default. More on why that matters below.
A bit further out
If everything closer in is full, sites within a 50 mile radius of Bristol include options around Portishead, Yate and Kenn. We can point you toward whichever of these is closest to you if the above three don't have space.
What CaSSOA Accreditation Means
CaSSOA is the UK's accreditation scheme for caravan, motorhome and campervan storage, and it currently covers 521 sites nationally. Accreditation isn't a one-off badge. Sites are inspected against defined security criteria and graded Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum, with Platinum introduced in 2021 for sites offering the highest levels of security and service.
The badge on a website is worth checking rather than taking on trust. CaSSOA publishes a live directory. If a site claims accreditation, a quick search of the CaSSOA directory tells you whether that's current and what level it's actually graded at.
Insurance Cover for Caravan and Motorhome Storage
Paying for secure storage does not mean your caravan is insured by the site. Vehicle Storage South West says this outright, and it's true of most storage operators even when they don't state it as clearly. Your own caravan insurance stays your responsibility regardless of how good the CCTV is.
What accredited storage can do is bring your premium down. Some insurers, including through the Caravan and Motorhome Club, offer a discount (around 15% in some cases) for keeping your caravan at a CaSSOA-accredited site all year round. That's a saving worth asking your insurer about, but it's a discount on your policy, not a substitute for having one.
It's also worth checking security in person rather than assuming it from a website. Claims specialists have made the point that owners should confirm what's actually in place at a site rather than judging it from photos or marketing copy alone.
Indoor vs Outdoor Caravan and Motorhome Storage
Outdoor pitches are cheaper and perfectly fine for a caravan in regular use. Indoor storage costs more, but it protects against water ingress, damp and UV damage in a way that an outdoor pitch, however well drained, can't fully match.
That difference matters more than people expect. Caravan Guard's claims data shows storm and flood damage accounts for a real share of settled caravan claims, with an average flooding claim of £13,734. A well-drained gravel outdoor pitch, which is what most Bristol-area sites offer, reduces that risk considerably, but it doesn't remove it the way a roof does.
If your caravan is older, has any existing damp history, or you simply won't be back to check on it for months at a time, indoor storage earns its higher price. For a van in regular seasonal use, a good outdoor pitch is usually enough.
Ensure You Book The Correct Size Storage Bay
Bay sizes vary more than people assume. Outdoor bays around Bristol are typically about 10 feet wide and up to 26 feet long, and several operators price anything over roughly 9 metres separately rather than fitting it into a standard tariff.
Measure your outfit properly before you call, including any overhang, drawbar and mirrors, not just the body length on the specification sheet. This matters most for twin-axle vans and longer motorhomes, where a few inches either way can be the difference between a standard rate and a bespoke quote.
Questions To Ask Storage Facilities
A few questions separate a genuinely secure site from one that just looks secure on its homepage.
Ask whether the CCTV is actively monitored or simply recorded for later review. Both count as "CCTV" in the marketing copy, but only one means someone is watching in real time.
Ask what the actual access hours are, not the headline figure. We've seen sites advertise 24/7 access with a small print that only applies on weekdays, so check the specific days and times before you plan around it.
Ask what happens if you're delayed getting back, whether that's traffic, a late ferry, or a trip that overruns. Some sites have a clear process for this and some don't, and it's better to know before you need it.
Ask what documentation you'll need to start storage. Most sites want proof of ownership (your V5C or CRiS record), photo ID and evidence of your own insurance, and it saves a wasted trip to have these ready.
And ask about notice periods and cancellation terms, particularly if you might sell the caravan or move it elsewhere before your contract ends. CaSSOA's own guidance is to see a site in person before committing to it, rather than deciding from a website alone, and that's advice worth following regardless of which site you're considering.
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